MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS OF WAR NEWS.

West Coast Times, Issue 329, 12 October 1866, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS OF WAR NEWS.

(From late English Papkhs.)

As usual in time of war, a variety of reports have been spread as to the treatment of prisoners by the belligerents. The Austrians have complained that certain prisoners taken from them by the Italians have been hanged without form of trial, and that those who are retained in Italian towns have been cruelly maltreated. The first charge has been rigorously investigated, and turns out to be wholly unfounded, 1 while, the second hns been disproved by the unanimous testimony of the Austriati prisoners themselves and of their Italian captors. On the other hand, the Italian journals assert that. a superior officer of their army who was wounded at Custoza was attacked by .Croats whilst being carried away on a litter. Without paying the smallest respect to his wounded condition, ho wae killed with fifteen or twenty lance-thrusts. For the credit of ordinary humanity it is to be Roped that this story is as false as that concerning the Austrian prisoners, but it is repeated in so many quarters, and upon such apparently good authority, that there appears to be some reason to fear that it is only too true. " Hanover is already beginning to find out the blessings of Prussian liberty. When the invaders first took possession, they appeared disposed to treat the conquered nation very leniently. Within the last week they have, however, manifested a determination to ant with great severity. Amongst other acts of this kind the Baron von Bock Wulfingen, a chamberlain of the King of Hanover and a royal commissioner at Norderney, has been arrested on a charge of being concerned in secreting the regalia and crown jewels, and smuggling them out of the kingdom. He is now in the fortress of Minden awaiting his trial. It might be thought that in thus acting the baron was simply doing his duty to his King and country, but the Prussians have manufactured a charge of high treason, for which he is actually to be tried.

The new 9of the battle of Custoza was received at Rome by the reactionary party with demonstrations of the greatest joy. Some of the leading members of the party busied themselves in spreading false and alarming reports in the cafes, and in seeking by every means in their power to create an agitation by irritating the members of the national party. Francis 11., who is still at the Palazzo Farnese, has sent the Count Coetodun to Naples in hope of raising an insurrection against the Government, and his supporters are now busy in organizing an expedition, winch is to start for the mountains with the same object. Cardinal Antonelli, with his usual acuteness has, however, compelled the King to disavow the project. The reason assigned has been that, under present circumstances, the Pope felt that he would be in too much danger to allow the ex-King to remain his guest unless he issued a repudiation. Much against his will, his Majesty cpmplied, and the proclamation appears in all the Roman journals.

Dresden appears to be in a curious condition. A state of siege has been maintained for some time past, and communication with. Austria has been^cut, off. All this makes little change in the daily hubits of the people. ' Railways, post,* and telegraph are all in full work in every other direction, and trade is carried on quite as regularly as it had been for some time before the Prussian occupation. On one side of the town fortifications are being carried out, by- which 1 means -some 3000.- persons, who were previously half starving lor want of work, have been provtded with the means of existence. The report' that heavy contributions have been extracted from the city is contradicted. It is now said that the only expenses which it has had to encounter have been for the purchase of a few horses and for the billets of some of the troops.

With regard- to the King the citizens manifest little sorrow. His soldiers inveigh bitterly against him' for having brought on the" war, those of the landwehr being especially angry. A few days back an address, dated from Prague and signed by the King, was secretly circulated. It consisted of a few lines only, in which the King, bad,e farewell to his subjects, and begged them to - believe in the ultimate success of the Saxon arms and in his consequent return to the capital. No effect was produced by this document, the people generally exhibiting the greatest indifference as to the fate of their sovereign. Many of the more influential citizens declare, however, that King John had nothing to do with the Address, and that the Prussian Government was really its author, ' in hope of discovering by that means what feeling existed amongst the Saxon people. Apparently / by way of contradicting this rnmour, the General in command of the Prussian troops ordered th<} two principal members of" the Dresden police to resign their posts and quit the city for' having maintained relating with the Saxon King. The language of the manifesto of Francis Joseph is said to be endorsed by the gene; ral opinion of the Viennese, who still hope that their armies may conquer, the Prussians, even if the negotiations for peace should fail. It is said that the Emperor has declared that he must be driven back as far as Belgrade before he will make peace with the Prussians so long as they remain on Austrian soil, and this feeling is shared by large numbers of his subjects. Their .confidence is not altogether unfouuded, seeing that the army of the North still numbers 150,000 men, including some splendid cavalry regiments which have not suffered at all/- Besides these, 167,0,00 men and 650 guns are available from Venetia, and' the garrison troops and reserves number 150,000 more, There are. at least 400,000 men, an enormously strong force of artillery, and' very large reserves available for the contest against the Prussian armies, which are believed to be seriously enfeebled by their late successes. It would appeanfrom the various correspondents of the London journals that the prospects of peace are rather darker than they were. -The threat of the Emperor that he would make war upon the Power ..which did not accept the armistice does not 'appear to have produced any effect, and, indeed, is scarcely likely to do so. While on the Qne hand two Paris journals — the "Patrie'' and the " Temps"—appear to think that the issue of the negotiations is certain to be favorable, and that peace is as good a3 concluded, the " Pays," which is at least as well informed as the other papers, points out that Italy has not even accepted the principle of the armistice, and that the advance of Cialdini is probably in pursuance of an understanding with Prussia, while the attitude of Count Bismarck affords no reason to suppose that there will be any change for the better. An opinion appears to prevail in Paris, according to one writer, that the continued hostilities on the part of the Italians in Venetia have been owing to an understanding of some sort with France. Even supposing, however, that France

were to oppose the movements of Victor Emmanuel, Castelfidardo has, taught him what to "expect — a mere interruption of diplomatic communications for a shoit time ; while on the other hand, relying upon Prussia and the needle-gun, it is not impossible that Jtaly may feel herself strong enough to disregard the wishes even of that sovereign to whom she in a great measure owes her national existence. Tins is the view taken by, amongst other writers, the Paris correspondents of the "Times," " Daily News," and "Morning Herald,' 1 and it is confirmed, to a certain extent, by an article in "La Liberte,' which is said to have been "inspired" by Prince Napoleon. In this article it is contended that neither Prussia nor Italy ought to accept the proposition of Austria. Were France a belligerent, there might be some ground for her imposing her will, "but as she has preferred the position of a neutral, she has no right to dictate to either of the contending Powers.